Nobody likes to talk about weight gain!

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When you struggle with weight issues and finally overcome them, your world starts to become flooded with compliments. As humans we live off of positive reinforcement, so the extra attention becomes an extra bonus to further reward your hard work. However, if by chance the weight should return, that positive reinforcement disappears into the abyss into a world of silence (hopefully!). Nobody likes to talk about weight gain, especially if that person has struggled with the gain. What happened to the dedication? Did they give up? What can one even say when the weight comes back? Not much.

As a fitness blogger, my blog has thrived while my personal fitness journey has utterly failed. Over the past several months, my journey has been interrupted by well…life. Life has been HARD. When you’re in an emotional firestorm, your basic instincts call you to survive. Any fitness enthusiast will preach “NO EXCUSES!”, and to that I only have one thing to say…. BALONEY. My life has been pretty much the good makings of a country song, from tough family issues to job transitions to everything in between.

In my own efforts of survival, my eating and exercise habits effectively got thrown out the window. It wasn’t an immediate retreat, but rather a series of cutbacks of physically taking care of myself. Little bites here, a skipped workout there, an OH MY GOODNESS I NEED CHOCOLATE RIGHT NOW, and you get the drift. Ironically, it was during this time that my blogging became a success. It reached a point of success where I was able to say “I am a blogger!”, and of that, I was very proud.

My blogging pride was very quickly overshadowed by one huge, mega, gargantuan detail. When people would hear I was a blogger, the immediate follow-up question was always “So, what kind of blog do you have?”, to which I would have to mutter in embarrassment “I’m a health and fitness blogger”. Not only has my weight gain in recent months been enough of a failure, but it has been compounded by the fact that I was failing (in epic fashion) to live was I was preaching. I’ve tried to hide it and pretend it wasn’t happening. Over and over I’ve tried to start my comeback only to fail quickly. I’ll be honest – the comebacks were half-hearted, which explains some of that failure. I’d lose 2 pounds and regain 3, then be absolutely sick with frustration. I had to swallow hard and buy clothes in bigger sizes to get through the summer, with the hopes that by Fall, I could get back into my smaller wardrobe.

Humility is a super hard pill to swallow, and when you’re swallowing that pill in a public eye, it becomes an even bigger pill to take on. However, as much as I don’t want to, I need to swallow that pill. I want to get OUT of this upward spiral. This is not the life I want for myself (besides that, my wedding rings aren’t quite fitting and that HAS to change). I know there are some keys to success, and I want to share them with you whether you or someone you know shares my story.

1. Admit you have a problem. (I didn’t mean to steal that from AA, but hey it’s super applicable). I know I have a problem because my clothes are snug. I know I have a problem because I still struggle to turn to food to help deal with my emotions. Figure out what your problems are, and how you got there.
2. Swallow that humility pill with someone. Whether it is your spouse, your BFF, or all of social media, tell someone that you have been struggling.
3. Discover what has failed in the past, and make alternate plans. Stop repeating the cycle if it isn’t working for you. This is your journey, and it’s not going to look like anyone else’s.
4. Hook yourself up with some accountability. Find a way to keep accountable to sticking through with it. (See #2 – those with whom you swallowed the humility pill would be a great place to start). As for myself, my comeback accountability will come in two forms –  I am joining a private health/fitness challenge, and I will be posting my journey on Instagram. I welcome you to follow my journey there with #myfitjourney.

Above all, be KIND. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. You may never know the battle another person is dealing. It’s a journey, and road bumps happen. Give yourself some grace when it happens, and never give up. <3

Followup: Part 2 Getting Back in the Game